Last Thursday we received Brian's fingerprints. I sent them by Fed-ex to our agency. The next day I received a phone call from them letting us know that they had sent all of our paperwork to Immigration in Baltimore. We figured it would be a couple of weeks before we received our last form from Immigration. Yesterday I checked the mail and there was our I-171H form from Immigration!! It took them 6 days to process our paperwork!!! This form allows us to bring Ava into the U.S. Now our paperwork will be Authenticated and sent to China!! Hopefully we will have our paperwork in China within the next couple of weeks. Then the long wait to be matched with Ava will begin.

Laura and her friend Melissa are visiting us this week. It's to bad that the picked such a miserable week. It's been about 114 degrees most of the week so they haven't been able to do to much. We did visit Virginia Beach for 2 days. While we we're there we decided to go para sailing. Here's some pics!

On Friday I decided to call CJIS to see if they could give me any information on Brian' s prints. I figured the worst they could say is no. I was so happy to hear that they received Brian's prints from the FBI and that they are good! We should receive our copy in about 2 weeks. When we receive that document we will be able to send our completed home study to USCIS in Baltimore. When it is approved they will send us our I-171H (this gives us approval to bring Ava into the U.S.) I have been told that USCIS turn-around time is about 2 weeks. All of our paperwork will then be authenticated, sent to our agency, translated and sent to China. We are hoping that our dossier will be sent to China in September. Keep your fingers crossed!

While I was visiting some adoption blogs the other day I found a link to a video clip of an orphanage in China. It broke my heart to see these poor babies (47 in one room) in cribs without a mattress or soft place to sleep. Instead of mattresses their cribs are lined with wooden boards. It just made me so sad to think of Ava living in such a place someday. I know they give the best care that they can in orphanages but it's heartbreaking. Hopefully she will be lucky enough to get a foster Mom and live in someones home while she is waiting for us. Since we started this process we have been supported by our family and friends. But we have learned that not everyone understands or accepts why we are adopting internationally. I told a patient at work that we we're adopting a baby girl from China...his reply was "why would you want one of those babies". He's lucky I was at work and couldn't say what I wanted to. Another patient felt the need to make sure that I knew she will be "Chinese". Like that would have just slipped past us!! I think the worst was a conversation I had with a new employee at work. When she found out that we we're adopting from China she decided to give me her opinion. She cant understand why we would adopt internationally when there are plenty of children who need homes in the U.S. I explained to her that adopting internationally is our personal decision. That the wait for a infant in the U.S. is long and that you must compete with many other couples to be selected. She then suggested the foster care system. This may sound selfish but we do not want to get attached to a child and then have DCYF give him/her back to their drug addicted parent. She did not accept our reasons and continued to plead her case as if she was determined to change my mind. At this point I became angry and explained how these poor children are abandoned in the streets, sent to live in orphanages with little chances of being adopted by a Chinese family. If it wasn't for international adoption these poor girls would live in an orphanage until they are of age with very little love or education. I understand that many people agree with her point of view because she is not the first person that we have heard it from. I'd like to show all of them this clip and ask them why these poor little girls don't deserve a good home just as much as an American child does?

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=97713&cdate=20060517&ctime=002610

On the fourth of July we had a small cookout with our neighbor Lora, my friend Michelle, her baby Bryce and her stepdaughter Amber. We have decided that Ava and Bryce will be playmates and will eventually marry someday. We enjoy teasing Brian with our little arranged marriage because he insists Ava will not date...EVER! We spent the day eating, playing baseball, swimming and watching fireworks.

In June I had to go to Virginia for 3 days for a business trip/training. I was thrilled when I found out that my hotel was literally across the street from our friend Lauren's house. She lives in this adorable historic farmhouse. She cooked my friend Nancy and I a great dinner on the night we arrived. The following night Lauren and I met at a restaurant and drank Frozen Margarita's until the manager threw us out at closing. I had a great time Lauren, Miss you!! We stayed at the Hyatt while we we're there. They had these great shops attached to our Hotel. I have become obsessed with anything that has a ladybug on it so I had to have this Hooded towel/washcloth set. As far as the business meeting is concerned I learned that one of my company's core values is fun. So after they filled us up with alcohol one night they got me up on stage (along with 20 other people) with a purple feather boa and made me sing and dance to Bon Jovi's "you give love a bad name".

Since we have lived in Maryland we have wanted to take a trip to Ocean City, MD. So 4Th of July weekend we decided to take a day trip. It was nice but not for us. It kinda reminded us of Atlantic City without Casino's. We spent the day walking the boardwalk checking out tons of shops. When we walked into one store I found 2 bibs every baby girl should have in her collection!! You all know we could not pass these up!

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a trip to the Zoo in Washington D.C. It was really nice but really hot. We bought Ava a stuffed Panda and a sippy cup while we we're there. Here's a few pics!

We haven't left a message in awhile due to the fact that we are at a stand still. The last month has just dragged along. We have all of our paperwork completed and ready to go. My FBI fingerprints and clearance arrived on June 28Th. We have checked the mailbox everyday for Brian's and they still have not come in. We cannot move forward with anything until we receive this piece of paper. If his fingerprints are rejected again it will take another 12 weeks for this one document. I received an email today from our Social worker regarding the hold up:

Hi Nichole:

I’m not sure if this will make you feel better or worse, but all of the other dossier docs HAVE been certified up to the state level. CJIS (the folks sending us the FBI prints) are really, really backed up at the moment. They owe me all kinds of clearances that should have come in weeks ago. They are switching computer systems, they tell me, and are quite backlogged.

If you would like to do something, you may call the FBI and ask about the status of the clearance through CJIS. However, this will only tell you if FBI sent it back to CJIS. It still may be stuck between CJIS and us. Again, it is not necessary for you to call. I have spoken with CJIS several times about Brian’s prints. However, I recognize that sometimes it feels better to do something rather than just wait.

Cara


So that's our not so great new's. Things we're going really smoothly up until this point so I guess we should consider ourselves lucky. We we're hoping to have our dossier sent to China in September but if things dont speed up that might not happen. If we are able to get a log in date in September we still wont get Ava home until November 2007. So please keep your fingers crossed that CJIS gets moving!

We attended our friends Ron and Christian's wedding in May. We had such a nice time. It was at a beautiful place. It reminded us of a New England Inn so it felt like we we're back home. After getting four other guests to switch tables with us we spent the night with our friends. We met this great group watching the Patriots at a bar on Sundays. They are such a fun group and most of them grew up in New England.

In May my Mom, Michelle, Matthew and Meagan visited us for a week. I loved spoiling and spending time with my niece and nephew. It was so nice to have my Mom and Sister here. I miss having them around me so much! Of course I cried for a day after they left. We did some sightseeing while they we're here. We visited D.C. and Annapolis. We spent alot of time hanging out, talking and playing with the kids. I wish they could be here everyday!!

It's been awhile since we have updated and so much has happened! We we're assigned a social worker and have already completed both homestudy appointments. Our home visits went really well and we're much easier than we thought they would be. Our social worker Pamela was so nice that we felt like we we're talking with a friend. She felt that we we're very informed and ready to care for a child of a different race. Pamela is hoping to have her report completed by Friday and handed into her director. We are now just waiting on FBI fingerprints to come back and our homestudy will be complete! Things have moved so fast that it feels like a whirlwind to us! We find ourselves saying "this is actually happening". It seems so unreal to us! Today we went to the Immigration office downtown to be fingerprinted for our I-600A form. This form allows us to bring Ava into the United States. When our homestudy is ready we will send it to Immigration to complete our application with INS. After they receive the results of our fingerprints they will send us a I-171H form which gives us approval to bring home Ava. We will then have everything certified, authenticated and sent to Great Wall. Once they approve everything it will be sent off to China and we will officially be waiting. Our social worker is hoping we can be logged into China by the end of July. With the wait getting longer and longer I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no problems come up and we get a July log in date.

Thanks so much to Angel, Michelle and Jen for writing your letters. You all wrote beautiful letters...they mean alot to us!! Last but not least here is Jen's letter.


Dear Sir or Madam, May 9, 2006

My husband and I have known Brian and Nichole Martus for about six years now. We met at a Friends house right before my wedding! I always joke with her and say if I had a little more time, I would have bought her the dress right then and there so she could be in my wedding party! I guess you can say I loved her like she was my sister right from the beginning. They are an outstanding couple, loving and caring. They put others feelings into consideration at all times. They have endured more trials and tribulations in life that no other couple that I know of could handle. They are sweet and kind people that have exceptional hearts!


I was so happy to hear that they were not giving up on having a little child of their very own. Yet, I was not surprised, Brian and Nichole are strong willed and very goal oriented. They have been working hard on completing various tasks that are given to them , they make sure they go through all of their paper work to make sure everything has been filled out and they even made an adorable website dedicated to the journey they are making through the whole adoption process! They are diligent and hard working and are very proud and excited to have this life experience!

I also believe that an adopted child or a foreign-born child would be gladly accepted into the community because Brian and Nichole are well respected and surround themselves with people that love them and greatly support them. I personally believe in my own heart, that they would make the best parents a child could ever ask for. Anything it takes, they’ll work hard at it to make this dream come true.


I have three little ones of my own now and when they get the chance, they come over and visit and get so excited to see the kids! The last time they were over, I remember Brian went over to our youngest son, who is also named Brian, and picking him up and holding and rocking him. I remember how happy he looked when he saw them and how sweet he looked into my baby’s eyes. I know Brian would be such a loving father. Nichole is always getting down on their level, playing and interacting with all three of them. She always compliments them as she makes one on one contact with them as well. I see her being a wonderful mother. Brian and Nichole are life long friends, I love them like family. They make an extraordinary impact upon the lives of whom they come in contact with, they are truly unforgettable!

Thank you for your time and attention to my letter, if you need anymore information, I’ll be glad to assist you further.


Truly,




Mrs. Jennifer Lynn

On May 5, 2006 we we're approved by Great Wall China Adoptions. We are now part of the Great Wall family. We signed our contract and paid our first installment. We can now start working on the rest of our Dossier. We have all of the documents except our Medical physicals which will be completed tomorrow.

We are required to write a letter to the China Center of Adoption Affairs stating our intention to adopt. We we're told by GWCA to be very respectful and avoid the topic of politics. There are statements that must be included in our letter. This letter is very important so we value your opinions good and bad.

To the Officials of the China Center of Adoption Affairs,


We are writing to you to express our intention to adopt a child from China. We respectfully request a healthy infant female between the ages of 3-12 months. We are overjoyed with the thought of having one of your wonderful children as part of our family.

After much research we feel that China is where our child is waiting for us. We are excited to learn more about Chinese culture and promise to keep this child's heritage as an important part of her life. We have met many people within our community who have adopted children from China. They have all expressed what wonderful experiences they have all had. We look at their children with fondness and admiration.

We have tried unsuccessfully for years to have a biological child. We are a happy, loving couple who have spent the last 15 years together. It has always been our dream to raise a family. We look forward to opening our arms and hearts to a child. We are excited to begin this new chapter in our lives. We promise to always provide a stable and happy home and will always show unconditional love. She will be given the same rights as a biological child. We promise to never abuse or abandon the this child. We will raise and educate the child to be a healthy adult.

We live in a beautiful community with many parks to enjoy. We live close to Washington D.C. and enjoy the museums and visiting the monuments. We enjoy spending time outdoors and traveling to visit family and our many friends.

We thank you for your time and consideration. We would be truly blessed to welcome one of our wonderful children into our lives. It will be such a pleasure to nurture her and watch her grow. We look forward to a lifetime of pleasant memories and love.

sincerely,

Michelle has also finished her letter so we'd like to share with everyone.

Dear Creative Adoptions,

I am writing this letter in reference of Nichole and Brian. I have known the two of them for 2 years and I think they are a wonderful couple. I work with Nichole and of course met Brian through her. I was very happy for the both of them when they decided that they we're going to adopt a child. I know that they have been trying to have children of their own but were unable to.

Nichole and Brian have had my children and niece over to their house on many occasions. Brian was giving my fifteen and sixteen year old guitar lessons, which they loved. Nichole and Brian have also attended an Orioles game with my children and me. We had a great time. My niece is two years old and I love to watch Nichole and Brian interact with her. I think they will make wonderful. Nichole is always talking about her niece and nephew and you can just see it in her eye's how much she loves them and I believe they will love their child just as much if not more.

When Nichole told me about the adoption and that they were going to be getting a baby from China I was happy for them. I do not think that the fact that this baby is foreign-born is going to make a difference in the amount of love and care that she will receive from Brian and Nichole. Nichole has already purchased a book to read to the baby about China. I think the community will welcome this baby like any other baby. I am currently pregnant myself and cannot wait for all the play dates that my son will have with their little girl.

sincerely,

Michelle

Angel has finished her reference letter and sent us a copy. We are so touched by her heartfelt letter and wanted to share with everyone.

Dear Social Services Supervisor:

I have known Nichole and Brian since 1998. I met Nichole through work. She has been
one of my best friends ever since. They have been my friends before and after my marriage, and remain as close as ever since I had my children.

Nichole and Brian have been with my son on many occasions. They have been babysitters for me when needed. I trust them completely with my son. When I leave him with them I have no fears or worries. They are such good people that I know that they would never let anything happen to him. My son and I traveled to Maryland to visit with them. Brian and Nichole spent hours outside kicking a ball and rolling around on the ground with him. Nichole and I have been on many walks with my son and she is always alert and watching for his safety. We have been in restaurants and amusement parks where Brian was very protective, making sure he did not wander too far. When he did fall, Nichole being the nurturing person that she is, ran to pick him up and comfort him, just as I would have done as his mother. Just recently I had another child who Nichole and Brian have met. She is very shy but had absolutely no hesitation to go to either of them. Babies sense love and react accordingly.

Nichole and Brian have shared their adoption plans many times. They speak excitedly about this new chapter in their life. They have done so much research and have kept their family and friends updated on every new event and milestone. I think this is a wonderful journey that they are about to embark upon. I know they feel honored and lucky that they have this opportunity to be able to have a child of their own. Someone once said to me that a person who adopts is someone who knew all their life they were meant to be a mommy or a daddy. Nichole and Brian have known all their lives that having a child is the most precious gift in the world.

Brian and Nichole are problem solvers. They don't just jump into decisions without thinking it through. They discuss things together and come up with an agreed-upon solution. I feel that they are more than ready to properly handle whatever comes their way.

I feel that an adopted child or foreign born child would be accepted in their community. Brian and Nichole are hard workers, great friends and they are a respected part of the community, which in turn would make their child just as accepted and loved.

Brian and Nichole are the type of people you fall in love with. They are genuine people. They give without expecting to receive. They are the love story that when you are done watching, you feel there really is hope for the world. I can't put into words how wonderful these two people are. Even when they were going through their hardest times not being able to conceive, they still found joy in their hearts for friends who were having babies and were able to support them. They are always thinking about others and their feelings. They make time for the important things in life: each other, family and friends. They will be wonderful parents. The baby they adopt will never be without love.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to be able to express my thoughts and feelings with you. I hope you find this helpful in discovering what wonderful people you will come to know.

Angelique

We had our pre-homestudy appointment with Creative Adoptions yesterday. Our Social worker reviewed the entire homestudy process with us. When they receive our referral letters and our physical exam reports we can schedule our first home visit. We also applied to Great Wall China Adoptions on Friday. They are reviewing our application and will contact us within the next few days. GWCA is the agency that will place Ava with us . You can visit their website at http://gwca.org I thought I'd add a few pictures of Ava's new things. Brian's favorite is the Daddy's little Girl T-shirt. Most of the clothes are form Angel and the letters are from Andrea. Thanks again Guys!!

A few more pictures from the Volvo Ocean Race.

A couple of weeks ago the sailboats that are racing across the world in the Volvo Ocean Race came into Baltimore's Inner Harbor. When each sailboat came into port Brian cleared their crews. He loved the experience and really got to know Marcelo Ferreira a member of the Brazil 1 crew . So Sunday we decided to go to Inner Harbor to see the Boats and the races that we're being held that day. We met our friend Lauren there who is a big fan of sailboat racing considering she has raced sailboats for many years. She was a great tour guide and taught us a lot about the sport. When Brian cleared the crew of Brazil 1 he surprised her with a phone call from Marcello and got the crews autographs for her. While we we're standing by the boats on Sunday Brian spotted Marcelo. He invited us on the boat and gave us a tour. I couldn't believe that they have been on this 70 foot boat since November. When we went down below we couldn't even stand up straight. The small space is very confined with just a sink, cots and a small room with a toilet. While out in the ocean they eat MRE's and take 20 minute
naps because they are on duty 24 hours a day. Marcelo was the so nice and talked with us on the boat for about a half hour. We learned that he is a 3 time Olympic medalist along with other awards. We had a great time and hope to get to Annapolis this weekend for the restart. They will be heading to New York city and will then be off to Portsmouth, England.

We're officially paper pregnant!! We mailed in our application on April 17, 2006 and have begun our homestudy. I am already nervous. I'm just waiting for something to go wrong. That's what 7 years of infertility will do to a girl. Brian is as calm as can be. We ordered our birth certificates and marriage license from the Rhode Island Health department and received them in 1 week. We we're told it would be 4-6 weeks so that was a pleasant surprise. We are still waiting for our passports though. Today we each had 3 sets of fingerprints taken for our FBI and State criminal background checks and child abuse clearance. On Tuesday we have our first homestudy appointment with Creative Adoptions. They want to explain the entire homestudy process and give us the rest of our paperwork including information for our reference letters. So Jen, Angel and Michelle you guys better start writing!! :) We also ordered our driving records (Thank God Brian has a badge that gets him out of traffic stops because he'd have a lot of explaining to do). I also completed the application for the Health Department. We have gotten a lot done in the last week so the ball is definitely rolling!! We are so excited...It finally seems real :)

We decided to take a trip to Rhode Island last weekend. We had a great time with everyone. Saturday night Andrea and Matt invited everyone to their house for dinner. It was so nice to see all of our friends. We haven't seen most of them in almost a year. On Sunday a bunch of us went to one of our favorite places to eat...Wrights Farm. We ate way to much and played with little Lexie and Michael. We stayed with Bev and Dick and visited with my Dad and Marie. The best part of our trip was the mini shower for Ava...at least that's what it felt like. Angel gave us a ton of Lexie's clothes and some new clothes bought just for Ava. She also gave us a mobile for her crib and a boppy pillow. Andrea got us the cutest letters that spell out Ava's name for her room and Bev and Dick we're so nice to let us borrow their Pack and Play that Josh and Collin had used. Michael also drew a special picture for Ava and gave her 35 cents for her piggy bank. We have got to visit you guys more often :)